Scavenger Hunt
by SlySilence
Summary: The South has many faces, some beautiful and bright, and others dark and horrible. Dave and his friends find the strange pull of the swamp too strong and are trapped in a life and death struggle with super natural forces on All Hallow's Eve. The macabre face of the South rears its head in a night long war between the living and the dead.


Hello everyone! I know I've been radio silent for a while, but I assure you, I am working. I still have some other older stories to post, I'm just improving them a bit.

Since it's so close to Halloween, I am going to give you guys a treat! Here is one of my scarier Kick-Ass stories! Enjoy!

* * *

><p>"This'll be my first camping trip since I was little." Dave smiled excitedly. He squatted and picked up the large bag with the tent inside and grunted as he threw it into the hatch of the jeep.<p>

"I know." Rin sighed. "It's a shame we couldn't get a hold of Lux."

"Yea." Dave struggled to shut the hatch. "But maybe next time."

"Yea, totally." Rin nodded. "Hey, Todd and Marty are here."

The beat up car rolled up to the house and parallel parked just outside the driveway of Dave's house. Todd and Marty hoped out and shouted a greeting at the two before going to the back of the car and gathering their back packs. They then approached the two waiting at the jeep.

"Hey, are we all ready?" Marty asked.

"Just about it. Katie's inside gathering up the last few things we need and double checking the supplies." Dave answered.

"Sweet." Todd smiled. Then he looked around. "Hey... we're short one..."

"Yea, Lux's not coming." Rin answered.

"Why not? I thought she liked this sort of thing?" He made a face.

"She does typically, and she would've went on any other day." She shrugged.

"Why not today?" Marty asked.

"It's almost Halloween." Rin answered. "She said it was dangerous to go somewhere like where we're going on Halloween."

"What?" Marty scoffed.

"What's up with that?" Todd asked.

"Don't question it, guys, just accept it." Rin warned.

"Alright, whatever." Marty shrugged.

Katie came out of the house carrying a large bag full of extra supplies. She shut and locked the door behind her and bounced down the steps and over to Dave.

"Thanks for letting us borrow the jeep again, Katie." Dave smiled.

"No problem." She beamed. "I wouldn't miss this for the world! Rin said she was going to teach me how to fish!"

"Yep." Rin nodded. "Well, if you guys are ready, we need to get a move on before the sun comes up."

They tied down their gear and placed their bags where they needed to be, then they loaded up into the jeep.

"Dude, what is that smell?" Todd asked.

"Smells like eggs, kinda..." Marty said.

"It's probably your breath." Dave said with a smile.

The car cooed as it pulled out of the driveway.

"Shut up..." Todd whined.

* * *

><p>"Are we there yet?" Marty whined from the back.<p>

"Trust me, you'll know when we're there." Rin smiled back at him.

"What does that mean?" Dave asked when suddenly the road went all to crap.

"We're here." Rin smiled.

"What the hell is wrong with this road?" Todd asked, slightly jarred by the sudden change.

"South Carolina has some of the roughest roads in the country. No one fixes them." Rin smirked. "So you better get used to it."

"Ugh." He sighed.

The jeep rumbled along for another hour or two before it pulled into a park. They went through the toll area and got their pass to hang around the mirror. Curious faces looked out the windows at the towering oaks and old trees, whispering in the chilly autumn wind.

The trees were bare, say for a few dried leaves, and were but skeletons of their former selves. They seemed grey and hollow against the listless over hung sky. The roots were prominent and gnarled, protruding from the earth like morbid snakes in a solid dark water.

The jeep rumbled to a halt in a parking space and the jello legged teens exited the car and looked around at the new and strange surroundings. The newcomers seemed to be in awe of old forest.

"There's a lot of history out here, guys." Rin said as she stood with them. "Good, bad, and even the down right horrid."

"Not to ruin it for everyone, but this place _looks _like it would be haunted." Marty made a face at the others.

"It _does _have that American Gothic heir, doesn't it?" Katie added.

"Loved that show..." Todd said as he walked by them with his back pack on.

Marty just shook his head at him and grabbed his own gear along with the others.

"The camp area is through the woods." Rin pointed. "I'll lead the way."

"Yea, you do that." Dave nodded and let her by.

She began the treck, leading the group deep into the forest. They walked until the solid ground began to get spongy and eventually gave way to swamp lands where they had to travel by long snaking bridges over green coated waters where eyes watched them from below.

"Are those... alligators?" Todd asked.

"Yep." Rin answered without stopping.

On bits of land that trailed out into the waters, wild boars rooted up the soft earth with their snouts and hooves, their tusks warping back, causing their lips to upturn into an almost smile. Katie shivered at their sight and ran to catch up with Dave.

As they walked they came across a large turtle, roughly the size of a dinner plate just sitting on one side of the path.

"Oh, look at that!" Todd pointed.

"Don't get too close." Rin warned. "That's a snapping turtle. They can bite off human fingers, and this one could easily break your arm."

"Cool!" Todd smiled widely.

They went around the resting turtle and continued onwards to the camp area. They continued to walk until they found solid ground once more. The bridge ended in four steps that landed them on solid ground once more.

"We're here." Rin smiled.

The area was a medium sized clearing surrounded by oaks and pines and shrubbery of several types.

"It's beautiful." Katie smiled at the clearing.

Todd and Marty threw their packs off and sat down.

"Finally!" Marty exhaled.

"If that little jaunt winded you, you're really badly out of shape." Rin laughed.

"Shut up, I'm just catching my breath..." Marty said before plopping back onto his back.

Dave laughed at Marty and stepped over him.

"We'll set up the tent here and have our fire pit right here..." Rin began marking out the areas where the equipment would go.

When everything was squared away, Dave helped her put the tent up and gather stones for the fire pit. Katie went with Todd and Marty to gather kindling and wood to start a fire with. By the time everyone did what they needed to do, the sun had begun to settle low on the horizon.

"Dude, I think that smell that was in the car is stuck in the fabric of my bag..." Marty said as he settled down on the log.

"It'll air out." Dave said as he took a seat too. "Leave it outside tonight."

"I'm starving to death..." Todd said, making a face.

"Let me introduce you to dinner..." Rin smiled as she held up cans of soup. This put smiles on everyone's faces since the temperature had dropped a good bit and they could now see a little bit of their breath.

She opened a duffle bag and pulled out a small pot and the bars it would hang from while the soup cooked. She set the device up while the others talked.

"You know... this place is _reaaaally _creepy at night." Todd smiled as he looked around.

Katie jumped at the high pitched sound a frog made out in the swamp.

"It's alright, y'all, it's just a frog." Rin laughed. "They're all around these parts."

"It sounded like a scream." Katie frowned.

"Yep." Rin smiled as she emptied the cans into the pot and stirred the mix with a ladle.

"Hey, you know what we should do?" Todd perked up suddenly.

"What?" Dave smiled over at him.

"We should tell scary stories." He answered, eyes wide with excitement.

"Jeez, Todd, what're you? Four?" Marty rolled his eyes.

"You know what I think?" Todd looked at him with a smirk. "I think you're just scared!"

Marty made a face at him and rolled his eyes.

"I'm not scared, you're just an idiot."

"Well, if y'all wanna hear some spook tales, I have a few." Rin smiled, still stirring the pot.

"Sure." Katie smiled widely.

"You sure?" She asked. "I have to warn you, now, these are historical tales. They've been around since the south was young."

"Even better." Dave smiled.

"Alright..." Rin stopped stirring the pot and looked up at the wide eyes of her friends. "This one is a tale about how Spanish moss got here."

"That's that gray stuff hanging all over the trees, right?" Katie asked.

"Yes." Rin smiled. "There once was a very mean man. He was the meanest man to ever live. He would beat his wife, his kids, and even the family dog. He was a thief and a liar and loved to spread rumors about the people in town and get neighbors fighting one another. Well, time was catching up with the man and slowly but surely, his eyesight and hearing began to fail him in his old age. Then, one day, while walking up a lonely dirt road, the man felt something behind him. He turned to see the long arm of the devil reaching out to grab him!"

Everyone was quiet and listening to the story with wide eyes.

"The man jumped out of the way and said 'Oh no! Don't take me just yet, devil!' The devil just looked at the man and asked him 'why not?' The man said 'I still have so much evil left in me to do! Just let me stay a little longer!' He pleaded. The devil thought about it and agreed to let the man stay under one condition. 'I'll send you a sign.' said the devil 'and when you see or hear it, you'll have to come with me.' The man agreed to this and the devil went back to hell."

Todd was leaned in so far it looked as if he might faceplant off of the log he and Marty were sitting on.

"But you see, the man was not only as mean as the devil, he was as smart too. He knew he was old and his eyes and ears would fail him soon, therefore, he would not be able to see or hear the sign! So, the man, now unable to die, traveled the south. People were too afraid to go near him, so he spent his days alone. This only made him more bitter. He became so bitter that everything he touched spoilt. Berries would rot as soon as he picked them, water would turn black at his touch. Still, he wandered. In his years of wandering, his hair had grown out in long, stringy, wiry, gray messes and would catch on every bush, limb, or snag he came across. The man wandered on until he began to get more and more slim, then one day, he just vanished, leaving nothing behind but his hair. It still hangs in the trees and on the bushes to this very day. Southerners call is Spanish Moss, but we all know what it really is."

Everyone was silent for a while before slowly leaning back on to their seats and thinking the story over.

"... Ew." Katie made a face.

"That was awesome!" Todd smiled widely.

"Disturbing is the word I would use." Marty added.

"Did you come up with that by yourself?" Dave asked.

"No." Rin smiled. "The story's been around since forever, but Lux told it to me when we were growing up. She had a ton of em'."

"Do you remember any of them?" Todd asked.

"Yea, a few." She smiled. "Like Wait 'Till Jessy Comes, or The Tale of Chancy Fox."

"Chancy Fox?" Todd asked.

"Who is Jessy?" Dave chimed in.

Rin only smiled and answered them with more tales she knew. This went on into the night until everyone was so tired they couldn't keep their eyes open.

It was at that time that they settled in for the night. The tent was set up but Dave and Rin decided they wanted to sleep under the stars.

"Are you sure, Dave?" Rin asked. "It's pretty cool out here. I'll be fine, I've lived here since I was little, but you..."

"I'll be alright." He smiled. "Besides, it's really hard to see the stars in New York. I want to see them while I'm here."

"Alright. Bundle up, though. It's gonna get chilly without the fire." She warned.

He stuffed his sleeping bag with a few blankets, wore a double layer of everything, a hat, and zipped his bag up to his chin, just like Rin.

He gazed up at the black sky, littered with stars and was in awe. There were so many, and they were so bright. He watched them for as long as he could until finally his eyelids became so heavy that he couldn't hold them open anymore. He drifted off finally and slept quite heavily.

* * *

><p><em>Dave opened his eyes. He looked around his surroundings, and while they were the same, the atmosphere had changed. Everything was surreal and almost hazey. He sat up in his sleeping bag and rubbed his eyes, trying to see if maybe it was just sleep still in them, but it wasn't. Even with his glasses, the effect was still there. <em>

_Suddenly, the bushes to his left began to rustle. He jumped and watched them, his heart racing now. Then, slowly, as if pressing itself through the bushes, like one would press their hand through a plastic bag, a figure slowly emerged. Red fingers parted the branches and a dark face came into view, a sickening sideways smirk on its face._

_Dave couldn't believe his eyes. Red Mist had emerged from the shrubbery and was looking down at him with those dark, deep eyes and his sharp k-9s visible in his sneer. He emitted a stomach sinking sound almost like giggling. He clasped his hands together and just smirked down at Dave, who was stuck there, looking up at was something wrong with him, something was off. There was something wrong about the whole thing, but he didn't have time to figure it out._

* * *

><p>Dave woke up suddenly, but didn't move. He looked around first, making sure everything was alright. To his relief, it was.<p>

Rin was already up, cooking breakfast on a little propane stove and Katie sat by her, helping out.

He sat up and wriggled out of his sleeping bag and walked over to the two girls.

"Good morning, Dave." Rin smiled at him. "How'd you sleep?"

"Well." He nodded. He wasn't sure if he wanted to tell them about his dream or not.

"Good, glad to hear it." She smiled. "You hungry?"

"I could eat." He smiled.

"Good." Katie smiled. "I'll go wake the others!"

She got up and entered the tent where Todd and Marty were still sleeping and proceeded to try and wake them, which proved to be more of a challenge than she thought.

Dave and Rin sat in silence, the only sound, other than the nature around them, being the sizzling sound of bacon frying in the pan she held.

"... Hey, uh, Rin?" He began finally.

"Hmm?" She answered, not looking up.

"Did you, uh, hear or see anything... _strange _last night?" He stuttered.

"There are plenty of strange sights and sounds out here." She smiled, once again without looking up. "Why do you ask?"

"... Well, I had a really messed up dream last night... and Red Mist was in it..." He carefully put his thoughts together.

"Chris, you say?" Rin listened, her eyes still on the bacon.

"No... well, I mean, he was suited up... and everything was hazy and really surreal." He made a face. "And the part that freaked me out the most though, was _him_. There was something really... _off _about him."

Rin smiled and lifted the pan off of the little stove and emptied it onto a plate, then, she carefully placed the pan aside and began making eggs with another.

"Sometimes when you're in an unfamiliar environment, you'll have odd dreams because you're not actually fully asleep as you should be." She informed.

Dave nodded slowly and Rin could tell he didn't really accept that excuse.

"Lux used to say, though, that the swamp was a world in between the worlds of the living and the dead." She smiled. "Here, hallucinations run freely, some of them are images of family members, past and present, friends, living or departed, and even people you've yet to meet."

Dave looked up at her, his eyes locked on her as she spoke.

"Now, whether you believe all that is up to you." She added.

"What's cookin'?" Marty interrupted as he meandered over to the stove area and sat down, still rubbing his eyes.

"A good serving of bacon, eggs, and flapjacks." Rin answered as she dumped the eggs onto a plate. The food was set out and done to everyone's relief. Steam rose up off of the plates from the freshly cooked food and Todd, who'd just emerged behind Marty, was almost drooling at the sight.

"Help yourselves." Rin smiled as she handed out plates.

She didn't have to say much more before everyone dug in and filled their plates as full as they could get them. She helped herself after everyone and they ate peacefully for an hour before everyone went and got changed for the day's activities.

"So what are we doing today?" Katie asked excitedly as she sat on the log in cargo pants, hiking boots, a tank top, and a light jacket.

The others were dressed similarly with cargo pants, hiking boots, short sleeved shirts, and a jacket.

"We're going hiking." Rin smiled. "I'm going to take you on a day trip through the woods and swamp so you can see it up close."

"Cool!" Katie smiled.

"Ugh, I have to exert energy?" Marty groaned. "And my bag _still _smells like the stink that was in the car!"

"Uh, duh? It's a camping trip, and just leave it here, dipshit." Todd just shook his head at Marty.

"We need to go ahead and head out so we'll have the whole day to see the area." Rin smiled as she stood. "Gather what you'll need and let's head out."

* * *

><p>The group traveled through the woods, observing different plants, animals, and sights. Aside from the frequent stops they had to keep making so Marty could catch his breath, they were making pretty good progress.<p>

"We'll be entering the swamps pretty soon." Rin smiled back at the group as she hiked ahead.

Marty grumbled as Todd nagged him about being slow while Katie was almost giving herself whip-lash from looking around so much. Dave trailed a little behind everyone, still unnerved by the dream. He couldn't shake the feeling that something just wasn't right.

They walked along for a little while longer when they finally came upon the swamp. It was like a whole other world apart from the woods. The atmosphere was thick with an unexplainable heaviness. Below them, the waters were black and slick, tall, smooth trees with snaking roots jutted up from their depths and created a thick canopy of bare limbs above them from which moss hung in stringy sheets.

Dave's mind was overwhelmed at the sight and his thoughts instantly went back to the man from Rin's story who's hair was all that was left of him. It made him shiver a little and he tried not to touch the moss whenever he could avoid it. He knew it was silly, but he was too freaked out not to do such things.

"Hey Todd, look it's your mom." Marty pointed to a sunning alligator.

"Yea?" Todd raised his eyebrows. "Well, there's your mom over there." He pointed to some wild boars that sat in the mud.

Katie laughed at their antics as Dave followed quietly. No matter how many times he told himself that it was stupid to be as anxious as he was, he just couldn't shake the feeling.

The two hours spent in the swamp was, by far, the two most uncomfortable hours of Dave's life, though he'd never tell Rin.

As they approached the woods on the other side, he thought he'd be relieved, but to his dismay, when they emerged, the feeling only got worse.

"We'll stop and rest here for a few minutes before we continue." Rin smiled.

"Thank God..." Marty sighed as he sat down.

"You're so freakin' out of shape." Todd laughed at him.

"Shut up, ass face." Mart scowled.

Katie sat down and took a few drinks from her water bottle, then continued looking around. She asked Rin a thousand questions the entire time, but it didn't bother her in the least.

Dave wasn't able to just sit and rest. He was too anxious. He still couldn't shake the feeling, so he decided he'd look around for a few minutes. He stepped into the tree line, not going anywhere specific. He looked up around him at the trees, many of which were oaks and other old hardwoods, and the many shrubs that grew under them. Nothing out of the ordinary for the woods. All was in order until his eyes landed on something that was out of place. Something that didn't belong.

A black plastic trash bag was tied to the base of one of the trees. From where Dave was standing, he could see that it was full. With what, he did not know. He wasn't sure what it was, but something compelled him to investigate.

He inched closer to the bag, cautious of what it was hiding. Fear bubbled inside of him like boiling water, yet the urge to find out what was inside the bag was stronger. He drew closer and closer until he was upon the object. He knelt down and tested the bag's weight by lifting it carefully. It wasn't heavy, though it had some weight. The contents were soft, which he discovered by poking it with a stick he found near by.

Finally, after starring at it for almost three minutes, he decided to open it. He took the stick and jabbed the bag until he made a hole in it. Then, carefully, the used the stick to tear the bag open so he didn't have to touch it.

To his surprise, the bag was full of clothes. He dumped the bag and used his hands, more comfortable now, knowing that it was only clothes, to look through them. They looked familiar somehow. There was a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt, and a plaid button up over shirt, red, black, and white in color. He was suddenly horrified by the reek that emanated from the fabric. The undeniable smell of blood and even light decay arose from them and he soon figured out why. The clothes were covered in blood.

He dropped them quickly and screamed. The echo reached the others, who came to his aid quickly and promptly. Within a few seconds, Rin came crashing through the bushes and ran over to Dave, a knife drawn for protection, the others close behind.

"What's wrong, Dave?" She asked, looking around to secure the area.

"Th-there!" He pointed at the clothes.

"What is that?!" Marty exclaimed.

"Ugh, it stinks!" Todd and Katie held their noses.

Rin used her knife to pick up the red, black, and white plaid shirt and examine it. She was silent, her brow furrowed, as she looked it over, blood and all. She placed the shirt down and wiped her knife in the grass before placing it back in it's sheath in her boot.

"... Looks like someone needed to throw them away, so they stuck them in a trash bag and left it here..." She observed. "... It's best if we keep moving."

"Anything, let's just get out of here!" Katie grimaced.

The group pulled themselves together and made their way back to the trail where they moved on. It was significantly more quiet this time, everyone still being a bit shaken up by their gruesome discovery.

Dave, worse off than before, was now certain that something was really, truly, wrong. He wasn't superstitious, but Lux's talk about the swamp kept swimming about in his head. He made it a point not to trail behind the group anymore and stuck closely with them.

They walked on for another good twenty minutes before they reached the end of their journey.

"Well, this is it." Rin looked around the clearing. "This is the end of the road... then again..." Her eyes landed on something out of the ordinary.

There was a hardly noticeable trail between the bushes where limbs had been broken off, and smaller trees bent over and broken. The ground was dug up here and there in a pattern that looked like drag marks.

She looked back at the group and motioned for them to follow her silently. They fell in line behind her as she parted the shrubs and followed the path deep into the overgrown woods. Five minutes in, she could tell there was a small clearing ahead. She silently motioned for Dave to come to the front of the line so he could see what she saw. They advanced on the clearing together, and Dave pressed his hands through the bushes, having a sudden flash back to the dream in which Red Mist had done the same. He gently parted the plants and looked inside.

In the center of the clearing was a red mound that resembled someone laying on their side. The group got a little closer and it was then Dave knew exactly what he was looking at.

Red Mist, his cape wrapped about his frame, laid in the center of the clearing, unmoving, not breathing, and lifeless. From their stand point, they could only see him from the back. His head was uncovered and they could see the back of his wig. He was laid heavily on his side, all of his dead weight pressing into the soft earth.

Rin's heart stopped for a second and Dave lost all the color he had. His large blue eyes were focused on the mound of a human before him. He slowly stepped into the clearing and walked towards the body, the others, equally as frightened, though more confused than anything, following a little bit behind. Dave approached the body when he noticed he had disrupted a ring of a white sand-like substance that encircled his enemy. He was perplexed by it, but paid it no attention. He was more concerned about Red Mist. He was finally upon the body and he knelt down next to it. With careful hands, he pulled the cape down just a little to see his face.

Red Mist's face was an abnormal pale and his eyes were closed. His lips were a blue-ish/gray color and he noticed that the skin closest to the ground was beginning to blacken. It was all of this that told Dave the truth. Red Mist, Chris D'amico, was dead.

Dave removed his shaky hand from his enemy's pale face and carefully walked back over to the group.

"... He's dead..." He whispered, now shaking so badly he could barely stand up.

Rin quickly took Dave's shoulders and lead the group back to the end of the trail. Once there, Dave doubled over and promptly threw up. The others gathered closely to one another and barely spoke, wide eyed and frightened while Rin waited for Dave to stop vomiting.

Once he could expel no more, he stumbled back and fell onto his bottom where he began a panic stricken breathing pattern. Rin knelt by him and took hold of both of his shoulders, squeezing them tightly.

"Calm down, Dave, you're going to go into shock if you don't." She spoke to him. "Breath in... and out... in... and out..."

She continued this exercise for a few minutes until she got him calmed enough to talk.

"He's dead! He's dead! He's gone!" Dave panted. "He was laying there, wrapped up in his cape up to his mask, dead! Like someone just... left him there for us to find! Like some sick joke!"

"Dave, did you see anything else, anything that could give us a clue as to who or what might have done this?" She asked, her voice wavering.

"It was just him!" He said, his voice cracking. "And some ring around him, some sort of sandy like crap!"

"Ring?" She asked. "What kind of ring?"

"It was just a ring of some white stuff! It's not exactly what I was focused on!" Dave spat.

Rin sat back and thought for a moment, then she spoke as if finally realizing.

"Salt." She spoke with such a softness that it was almost as if someone asked what a recipe needed or what would repel slugs around a garden.

"What?" Dave just looked at her.

"... A ring of salt." Rin stated. "Some believe that sacred salt will keep evil out of a designated area that is so designated by the ring."

"Well, it didn't work, he's dead!" Dave half shouted.

"... We need to get back to the camp site, ASAP." Rin stated, getting to her feet. "C'mon, we don't need to linger here."

They followed her, the pace being a good bit quicker now as they traveled back. They hit the swamp and Dave was feeling sick to his stomach again as they made haste down the wooden platforms.

They were walking briskly when suddenly, Rin stopped and held her hand up.

"Shhhh!" She hissed. Everyone stopped and Rin scanned the area, back and forth, when her eyes caught something.

One the other side of the black waters was another wooden walk way, and something was coming up it hard and fast from the sound of the footsteps. It was closing in quick whatever it was and would be visible in a matter of seconds from their part of the walkway. Suddenly, Rin realized there was another set of feet, except these she _knew _weren't human. The sounds closed in finally and the figures were finally visible on the other walkway.

A figure in what looked to be an old western duster and boots clacked up the walk way, a large dog on its tail. Suddenly, the figure turned around and struck the animal with a long necked object that, upon contact, Rin was positive was a banjo, simply from the sound it made. The dog, instead of yelping like one would expect, screamed like a human, and fell back onto its side before getting up and lunging at the victim again.

This time the animal threw all of its weight onto its prey and knocked them over. At this moment, everyone was horrified to see the animal had a gaping hole in its side where its intestines spilled out. It sunk its huge teeth into the arm of the person fighting it, obtaining a scream of agony which Rin, with horror, recognized.

"Lux!" She screamed.

The figure drew their other hand back and punched the dog repeatedly before it let go. They stood and looked over at the opposite walkway where Rin stood, helpless and horrified.

The dog shook its head with rage and snarled at the person, its eyes large and glowing red. It lunged again and the person planted their fist into its temple, knocking it off of the walkway and into the water.

"Lux!" Rin cried again.

The figure looked over once more, holding their arm, and then proceeded to run off down the walkway.

"Lux!" She cried desperately. "Wait! Come back!"

The figure ran off in the direction the group had just come from and was covering ground quick.

"What the hell is going on?!" Marty asked as Rin took off back down the walkway.

The group followed, trying their best to keep up with her, but it was proving difficult to say the least. The swamp around them seemed to come alive with malice and wretched sounds as they ran frantically into something they knew nothing about. Finally they came to a stop at the clearing. Rin had just dove into the bushes, still calling for Lux, and though the others were terrified, they followed, fighting limbs and branches that seemed to want to claw their faces off the whole time.

Once they caught up, they could see that Rin had already tore into the clearing and was standing a few feet away from Lux, who had just turned around in front of Red Mist's body, a mortified look on her face.

Her eyes locked onto Dave immediately and all the color drained from her face.

"RUN!" She screamed.

This startled everyone because they'd never heard her scream with fear before. Dave jumped and then realized why she'd done so.

A large black dog, the size of a wolf, parted the bushes behind her, its large glowing red eyes piercing right through Dave. Its lips upturned, snarling, drooling as it growled a deep unnatural sound. Part of its spine was visible where there was no skin, ribs poked through the flesh, and half of the skin was missing on the tail.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE, YOU FREAKING MORONS!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Dave took off and so did the dog. It bounded out of the bushes and leapt right over Lux, its sights set souly on Dave.

"RUN, BOY, RUN!" Lux cried as Dave put distance between himself and the clearing as quickly as he could.

The thundering foot falls of the beast behind him only put an extra jump in Dave's speed as it chased after him. He ran quicker than he had ever run and he was almost clear of half the swamp in a matter of minutes when he stopped, realizing the dog was no longer chasing him. He looked around him, panic stricken and short of breath. His surrounding were oddly and unnaturally quiet. He doubled over again, though not to puke, but to try and catch his breath. He had to get his thoughts straight. But that would have to wait. Something else was coming down the walk way. He looked up and to his horror, it was a large hog, larger than he'd ever seen. Its eyes, too, were glowing red and, upon seeing him, it began to hover off of the ground. Dave screamed as it flew at him, its eyes dangling from its sockets, but it never reached him.

Suddenly, Lux leapt over his hunkered form and drop kicked the beast, landing harshly on her side. She cried out and got to her feet clumsily before grabbing Dave and throwing him down the walk way. The others followed as they ran as hard and fast as they could through the swamp.

They all stopped at the quarter mark and caught their breath for a minute.

"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?!" Marty yelled.

"I'll fill you morons in when we get to a safer place, now get to it!" Lux yelled as she pushed Dave and Marty ahead. "Go!"

They traveled the rest of the way using a brisk walk until they finally got back to the woods and then, eventually the camp site. Once there, Todd and Marty began packing and Katie just sat down, trying not to cry. Dave paced back and forth while Rin stood with Lux and spoke.

"What in the name of all things good is all this?" She asked, frustrated and angry.

"THIS is exactly the reason I told you idiots to stay home!" Lux snapped.

"Hey!" Rin defended. "All you said was that it was dangerous to come down here close to Halloween!"

"Was I _wrong_?!" Lux countered.

"Lux..." Katie called softly. "... What's going on? What are those things?"

Lux looked over at her and her anger died down at the sight of the frightened girl. She sighed and looked over at the boys.

"Drop what you're doing and gather 'round _right now_!" Lux demanded.

They did so and stood in silence around her in a circle-like shape.

"You are all in serious danger here." She said very sternly. "Those _things _out there _will kill _you. I told you to stay home 'round this time _because _of those things."

"What the hell _are _those things?" Marty asked.

"They're called Plat-eyes." Lux answered, her piercing gaze stunning Marty for a minute. "They're spirits of people who haven't been laid to rest properly or who were wrongfully killed. They spend their afterlife hunting down and taking revenge on those who did not give them a proper burial or who have wronged them in life."

"Okay, but why are they after us?! What did we do?!" Todd fidgeted with his fingers.

"You don't have to do anything!" Lux raised her voice. "They're purely malevolent in this state!"

"Oh God!" Katie cried. "What do we do?! We can't get back to the car without running into one and it's only a matter of time before they come here!"

"Calm down, don't work yourself back up." Lux spoke softly to her. "Plat-eyes are typically restrained to their grave sites, so they can't just travel anywhere."

"Oh thank God." Todd sighed.

"I said _typically_." Lux looked at him. "But powerful ones can go wherever they so please until they get what they want."

She turned her gaze to Dave and she furrowed her brow.

"And bad news for you, bro, you just happen to be the target of an increasingly powerful Plat-eye." She spat.

"Me?!" Dave's voice cracked. "Why?!"

Then suddenly, it all hit him like a ton of bricks.

"... Those clothes, in the bag..." He began. "Those were Chris'..."

Lux's eyes widened and the others looked confused.

"... Yes." Lux frowned.

"... And Chris is dead..." Dave thought out loud. "... and he's seeking vengeance against me..."

"... But why is he one of those things, now?" Katie asked.

"... That circle of salt you broke," Lux sighed. "wasn't there to keep evil out. It was to keep it in. I was trying to burry Chris. Give him a proper burial and you let him out before I could complete the task and lay him to rest."

"Wait a minute! Chris D'amico is Red Mist?!" Todd flipped out.

"... He was." Lux said softly.

Katie frowned at Lux and reached out, placing a hand on her back.

"... I'm sorry." She whispered.

Lux looked over at her and nodded.

"...Lux," Marty spoke up. "are you telling us that Chris can travel wherever he wants?"

"... Not right now, but he'll be able to soon." Lux answered.

"Well, let's get the hell outta here before he can!" Todd said frantically.

"You can't go into the swamp." Lux stated. "They'll be all over you in there."

"What do we do?!" Todd asked.

"You've got two choices," Lux began. "One, stay here and wait out Halloween. I knew y'all'd still come out here and Plat-eyes can't stand bad smells, which is why I planted bags of sulphur and gunpowder in your bags."

"Is _that _what that wretched smell was?!" Marty yelled.

"Yes, and _that _is why they haven't come to this area!" Lux spat. "Or two, try to travel through the swamp, but here's the irony, those bags wont last much longer. They've already been exposed to the elements since you left it out all night. Their scent is weakening."

"Why didn't you put a larger amount in them?!" Marty yelled.

"Because, you shit biscuit, you _really _would've noticed it then and you would've emptied your bag and then been without _any _protection at all!" Lux hissed.

"... You're right..." Marty frowned.

"If we wait, would we have a chance?" Dave asked.

"Honestly, either way, you're in for hell." Lux answered.

"So _what _do we do?" Rin asked.

"Listen, I have the proper equipment here in the swamp. I'm camped out back that way." Lux pointed back towards the swamp. "If we can get to my camp site, we can form a plan there."

"... Well, what are we waiting for?" Dave siad as he stood up. "Let's get going."

"Gather supplies, but pack light." Lux warned. "It's gonna get rough."

* * *

><p>The group found themselves walking along the walk way once more. The sun was getting low in the sky and the black waters were becoming increasingly dark. The waters swirled with eerie movements of alligators and large snapping turtles while the spongy land was occupied by heards of wild boars with upturned lips. Unknown birds leapt about the canopy, making a racket, unnerving the travelers below.<p>

Lux lead the group quickly. She held her damaged arm, looking around for any sign that she would have to fight again, though the dearly hoped she wouldn't have to just yet. Rin followed behind her, alert and keeping an eye on the rest of the group. Katie clung to both Todd and Marty who walked alongside Dave.

Lux came to a dead stop suddenly. The others looked around her to see a toad sitting in the middle of the path way.

"... Why are we stopping?" Todd asked, looking at the amphibian.

Lux didn't answer. Suddenly the toad hopped towards them. Lux put her arms out, forcing them to back up. The toad continued to hop at them.

"It's just a frog..." Marty said to Lux.

Suddenly the toad began to change form. It morphed into a squirrel that, too, hopped after them. Then it turned into a badger.

"Back up, guys!" Lux yelled.

The group did so and allowed Lux to work. She waited as it changed from a badger to a dog and then she made her move. She ran at it and promptly kicked it over, stunning it for a minute. It came back quickly and grabbed hold to her boot, dragging her down to the floor where it lunged over the top of her. She reached up and grabbed the creature's neck, digging her fingers in as hard as she could, making it angry, more than anything. It snapped violently at her face, getting a little closer each time. Then, the creature flew back, screaming, and Rin kicked it in the head.

Lux got to her feet and threw all her weight at it, kicking it over the side of the walkway.

"C'mon, we gotta move!" She yelled as she sprinted up the walkway.

The group ran as hard as they could, fueled by fear and propelled by survival instincts. They reached the half way mark where they stopped to rest for a few minutes.

"We can't keep on like this..." Marty said, holding his chest.

"You're going to have to if you want to get out of here." Lux stated.

"I didn't want this, anyway!" He yelled. "This is bullshit!"

"You've only got yourself to blame for it." Lux replied.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He asked, obviously angry.

"It means that I told you not to come down here." Lux answered.

"And you just _expected _us to believe all the superstitious mumbo jumbo bullshit that you spewed in those text messages?!" He just looked at her.

"I _expected _you to listen, but it is _apparent _you are incapable of doing so." Lux hissed.

"Well, that may be, but it sure as hell doesn't stop me from observing!" Marty returned. "And I'll tell you what I've observed, Lux! I have observed a bag of bloody clothes, the dead body of Chris D'amico, and some hocus pocus bullshit salt crap, and now, these freaks of nature that are following us! Let me be the first to say, because I know everyone is thinking it, that some of this shit isn't adding up!"

"Just what are you getting at, Marty?" Lux's stare hardened suddenly.

"I'm getting at that right now, you are looking pretty damn suspicious out here with all this shit!" He answered. "Chris D'amico is dead and you're the only one who knew about it before we did!"

Lux just stood in silence, starring at him, her face set in a shocked and enraged form. She advanced on Marty and grabbed his jacket, throwing him against the rails of the walkway.

"Don't you think for one damn minute that _I _killed him." She hissed with rage. "Let me inform you of something, Marty. I love Chris with all of my heart. He is a part of me and to hurt him is to hurt myself, so before you open that fat little yankee mouth of yours again, I'd spend a couple of precious minutes thinking about what was about to come out of it, because let me tell you, you two-bit ass cracker, I can dump you in the middle of this swamp just as quickly as you found me in it. Do I make myself clear?"

Marty just looked at her, not really sure of what to do other than to just be quiet. He looked away from her as Dave placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Listen, you didn't really mean what you said." He frowned. "Tensions are a little high right now, that's all."

Lux let go of him and returned to the front of the line where she picked up the pace. Marty dusted himself off and continued on quietly with the group.

* * *

><p>They reached Lux's camp as the sun was setting and sat down around the fire. The thick smell of sulphur hung around the camp, warding off the plat-eyes, making the areas safe.<p>

Lux looked through her belongings, laying out different weapons and books while the others ate from the storage bin she'd brought along.

They all sat around the fire, warming themselves and calming down before they made plans. Lux starred into the flames, unblinking, and barely breathing. Rin watched her silently and then sighed. She spoke softly to her, trying not to wreck her nerves anymore.

"Lux..." She asked. Lux looked over at her. "... What did happen to Chris?"

Lux looked up at her slowly, her face obscured slightly by the flames that separated them. Her eyes were heavy and dark but she took a deep breath, fighting the tiredness, and spoke.

"... I came down here long before any of you did." She began. "I knew Halloween was drawing closer and I knew that stupid kids would be coming into these places looking for stuff. No one respects this stuff anymore and no one takes it seriously. That's how people get hurt or worse. So I came down here to try and lay some of these things to rest by going out without sulfer and gunpowder so I could see where they were and stop the haunts so that there would be at least a few safe places."

Marty bowed his head slightly and Todd patted his back.

"Chris didn't want me to go anyway. Ever since his father passed, he'd had serious issues with being left alone. If I got up in the middle of the night to do something, he'd wake up in a panic and come find me, thinking I'd left him or that I was gone like his father. So when I told him I was coming down here for a little while, it wrecked his nerves. He agreed to it anyway and I told him it would only be for a little while. So I left."

Dave lowered his eyes to the ground and remained still and silent, listening carefully.

"I was down here for one day, setting up my camp and preparing an airboat trip through the swamps to do work when I got a phone call from Chris. He was in the parking lot outside the swamp. He'd followed me down here after ordering his guards to stay home to take care of the business. I told him to stay put and went and got him. I was angry that he'd followed me but I couldn't stay mad at him. He was a mess and he couldn't be alone without having some sort of anxiety attack or something. So I let him stay." She closed her eyes. "I thought that if he was with me, if I could watch out for him, he'd be alright."

Rin bit her lip and watched her friend with worry as she continued.

"I let him stay with me. I even gave him his own bag of sulfer and gunpowder. I told him about the plat-eyes and the dangers of the swamp. I sat with him around the fire and told him all the legends of the South..."

_"... So he leapt out of his chair and ran outside, hopped onto his horse and began riding away. Halfway down the trail, he called back over his shoulder, "When Jessy comes, tell him I couldn't wait!" Lux laughed._

_Chris smiled and chuckled at the story. He looked up at Lux and moved closer to her, placing his hand atop hers._

_"... Thanks for letting me stay." He whispered. "I don't like being alone."_

_"It's alright. I understand." Lux smiled at him gently. "But you have to stay close so I can keep an eye on you, okay?"_

_He nodded and put his arm around her. He looked up at the stars that littered the sky like glitter and smiled._

_"Y'know, ever since I heard you talk about your home, I wanted to see it. I'm glad I came down here." He said softly._

"While I wanted to enjoy the time we were having, I knew that it wasn't good for him to be here. I just wanted to get done and get him home as quickly as possible. So we set out early the next morning by airboat into the swamp..."

_The boat sped along the black glassy waters, cutting a trail between the Cyprus trees hung thick with Spanish Moss. _

_Chris sat at the head of the boat, looking around at his surrounding as they sped by, Lux sitting at the back, guiding it. Every now and then he'd give Lux a smile from the head of the boat and she'd return it with just as much excitement._

_Finally the boat came to a halt at an island. Carefully, Lux got out and onto the spongy land, helping Chris and showing him where it was safe to step. He was wobbly for a minute or two, but eventually got his land legs and followed Lux deeper into the little island. He stayed close, just like she'd asked him to do, until they arrived at a small clearing._

_Lux then began to look around the area. She then stopped at the center of the clearing and gave the entire area one more sweep._

_"There's been activity here, but I wont be able to locate the body in this area. The land's been messed with." She said as she kicked at a fire pit. "I'll leave some sulfer to ward off the spirit until someone more experienced can get out here and do this thing justice."_

_Chris watched as Lux tied up an extra sulfer/gunpowder bag in one of the trees. She then lead him back out to the edge of the island._

_They were nearing the boat when she caught sight of something behind them. She turned just in time to see a large black buck charging at them through the swamp. Its antlers were huge, a 30 point, easily. It's large red glowing eyes were dead set on Chris and as it neared, it lowered its head, intent on goring him._

_Lux grabbed his arm and pulled him to her, forcing him in the direction of the boat._

_"RUN!" She yelled._

_He obeyed and she followed him, remaining behind him, trying to ward off the wretched creature with her bag of sulfer, but it kept right on their trail. It was so close by the time they reached the shore that she could see that it was riddled with bullet holes and was squirting blood with every leap._

_The way they had emerged from the island left them on a bit of a cliff, the boat below them. Chris stopped suddenly, looking down at the boat._

_"We're going to have to jump!" Lux yelled._

_"I can't!" Chris cried._

_"We have to!" Lux took hold of his arm. "I'm right here with you."_

_He looked at her but before he could make a decision, the buck emerged from the over growth and was upon them. _

_They leapt from the cliff and plummeted to the boat. Lux landed and fell to her side in the metal boat. When she looked up she saw Chris hanging over the side of the boat. He looked stunned and his ribs were smashed against the rim. She got to him as quickly as she could and pulled him the rest of the way in before starting the motor and speeding away from the bank. She looked back to see the buck leap into the water and try to swim after them, but it was too slow. The boat quickly left it behind and they were alone again._

_"Chris, honey, are you alright?" She asked, her face pale with fear._

_He lay on his back, coughing and gasping, his eyes wide and fearful. Lux leaned over him, resting his head in her lap. She brushed the hair out of his face with shaky hands and brought the airboat to a stop at the bank of their camp site. She carefully dragged him from the boat and over the area where the smell of sulfer hung thick in the air and laid him down. She gently pulled his shirt up and looked at the purpling ribs._

_"You broke some ribs." She told him as she continued to look him over. _

_He gasped and placed a hand over his stomach, grimacing._

_"It hurts..." He managed._

_Lux held him in her arms, trying to calm him down._

_"It will," She smoothed his hair down. "You smacked it pretty good."_

_She leaned down and kissed his cheek, feeling the tension in his face as his eyes were squeezed shut tightly. He was in serious pain and she knew deep down that it wasn't a good sign._

_The hours passed with little change. She prepared soup and tried to get food in him but he refused to threw up several times. It was bloody and he couldn't lean over to keep it from getting on him. She sat up well into the night, holding him in her arms, wrapped in blankets to keep him warm by the fire._

_"How are you feeling?" She asked._

_"... A little better." He whispered._

_He was pale, his eyes heavy and dark, and he had stopped shaking. He held her hand as it rested atop his chest, monitoring his heart beat and breathing, both of which had slowed down. She smiled down at him, her eyes tearing up. She didn't let a single tear fall, though, for the fear it would frighten him._

_"I love you." She smiled down at him._

_"I love you, too." He whispered._

_She sat, holding him late into the cold night until she couldn't keep sleep away any longer. She drifted off, still clutching him, her hand resting on his chest._

"When I woke in the morning, he was gone. He died sometime in the night in his sleep. I was distraught and hysterical. But I had to pull it together and get him laid to rest before even worse could happen. I gathered what I needed, and made my way to the boat. Along the way, I found his bag of sulphur and gunpowder on the ground. It had slipped off of his belt and he didn't even know it... that's why he was attacked. I loaded the boat up with the supplies, his back pack, and laid Chris down as well. From there I traveled via swamp to the area where I would've buried him. I stopped and changed him out of his bloody clothes, placing them into the bag you found. I looked in his back pack and found that he had brought his costume along just in case. I dressed him in it because it represented something he and I both knew. In that costume, he was a hero. And in that costume, he would be buried as one."

She stopped talking and bowed her head as the rest of the group looked at her, their eyes wide.

Katie's face was streaked with tears and she got up and slowly walked over to her. She sat next to her and hugged her, rubbing her back and trying to show sympathy.

Lux accepted the hug, but no tears fell. She was somber and quiet and it almost seemed like she was the one comforting Katie.

"... I'm so sorry, Lux. Truly, I am." Marty's eyes were glassy with tears.

Rin got up after regaining the ability to move and joined Katie.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "This never should've happened."

"... All that matters right now is getting the job done." Lux stated. "Once he is laid to rest, we can leave."

"... We're going to do everything in our power to help you." Dave said as he stood.

"Yea." Todd nodded.

"Alright." Lux said as she stood gently. "Let's get to it, then."

* * *

><p>"We'll need to get this large bag of sulfer and gunpowder to the burial site. It'll keep him away while I do what I need to do." Lux informed the group. "But it is such a large bag that carrying it through the swamp via walkway would be murderous. We'll have to take the boat."<p>

"Okay. And that will keep us safe, right?" Todd asked.

"It will." Lux nodded. "But, you can not get it wet. If we loose a lot of it to water, it wont be strong enough to protect all of us. It has to remain dry."

"Got'cha." He nodded.

With that, everyone packed their supplies and headed to the boat. Dave and Marty carried the large sulfer/gunpowder bag to the boat and placed in dead center so it would protect the whole thing. Once everything was ready, they kicked off for the other side of the woods.

The boat glided over the black waters that now reflected the starry sky. Everyone was quiet and watchful of the swamp. It was deathly silent, unnatural for such a normally lively place. The faces of the passengers were lit by a single lantern Rin held as they cruised along. The light from the lantern illuminated the trees around them and the reflective eyes of the alligators below.

Rin sat at the head of the boat, guiding Lux, who steered from the back. Katie watched Lux closely and whispered to Dave.

"... She looks so empty." She sighed.

"I know." Dave replied softly. "She lost her partner. I wouldn't imagine anyone would look too good after that."

"I feel so bad for her." Katie covered her mouth. "Imagine how lonely she feels."

"I can't see anything, Lux..." Rin said when suddenly the whole boat went up on one side. All of the supplies plummeted into the black waters, including the passengers and the sulfer and gunpowder bag.

The waters were suddenly alive with thrashing bodies as the group tried to stay above the surface.

"GET TO THE WALKWAY!" Lux yelled.

They thrashed frantically towards the wooden walkway when the deep rumbling sound of alligators began to surround began screaming and thrashing even harder which only enticed the beasts.

Lux reached the walkway first and climbed up onto the platform where she turned around and reached her hand out to help the others. One by one she helped pull them up until finally they were all safe from the alligators.

Everyone sat, sopping wet, on the wooden boards, panting and shivering.

"What happened?!" Marty asked.

"We hit something..." Rin panted. "I-I couldn't see what it was."

"It's alright, Rin, it wasn't your fault. It was probably a Cyprus knee." Lux spoke evenly. "Bad news is, all our supplies are gone."

"No..." Katie gasped.

"We'll have to travel on from here with our guard up." Lux warned as she stood. "Let's go."

Everyone stood and followed her, sticking together as closely as they could. The darkness around them was suffocating and the swamp was a less than comforting place. Dave traveled in a line consisting of himself, Todd, and Marty with Rin and Katie in front of them and Lux at the lead.

They walked along when Dave stopped suddenly. Everyone stopped a few steps ahead and turned to ask what the problem was.

"Shhhh..." Dave hushed.

It was faint, but audible. The light sound of clicking coming up the walkway. Everyone braced themselves for the appearance of something. It came closer and closer, the clicking becoming more and more clear. It was the sound of hooves, it seemed, on wood. Near and nearer it came when suddenly it stopped.

Everyone stood in silence, listening for anything. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. The minutes passed and there was still nothing. This continued until everyone decided it was nothing.

Dave turned back to the group when out of the darkness came a large black buck. It leapt at the group, its 30 point horns down, trying to gore them.

Lux ran to the back of the group, ready to fight the creature.

"RUN, GO AHEAD, I'LL HOLD IT OFF!" Lux yelled.

They obeyed and ran as hard as the could. They reached the clearing, Lux running up behind them, the buck still on her tail. She turned on it and was prepared to try and kick it when a large black dog leapt over her and tackled the buck. It bit a hole in its neck that didn't phase it and clawed the skin off of one side of its face. The buck shook the dog finally and snorted at it violently pawing at the ground. The dog didn't wait for the buck to make the first move, instead, it charge it again and bit one of its ears off. With a violent scream, the buck finally galloped away down the walkway.

Everyone looked on in horror as the dog turned around and looked dead at Dave. Its lips upturned and it advance on him slowly.

"That's Chris!" Lux yelled. "Quick, Rin, help hold him off while I fix this!"

Rin leapt in front of Dave, challenging the dog.

Lux took off into the bushes, Marty and Katie right behind her.

Todd stepped up to the fight with the dog hesitantly.

The dog lunged at Rin, who braced herself. It tackled her to the ground, sinking its teeth into her shoulder. She cried out in pain when Dave tackled the dog off of her.

"It's me you want, you mangey mutt!" He yelled.

The dog snarled at him, drooling between it teeth and torn lips. It screamed at him, Chris' scream, unnerving him. It took its chance and attacked while Dave was stunned. It bit into his arm, shaking its head violently back and forth, tearing the wound open. Dave screamed as it clawed his face violently.

Todd, terrified, picked up a large stick and attacked the beast by smashing it over its head. It stopped mauling Dave and looked at him, the drool in its mouth now laced with blood.

Todd backed up slowly as the creature crawled off of Dave and stalked in his direction. It had him backed against a tree when Rin leapt onto its back and grabbed its throat.

* * *

><p>Lux made it to the site finally and made her way over to a spot behind Chris where a hole was half dug. She picked up a shovel and began to frantically clear away more dirt.<p>

Katie and Marty emerged from the woods soon after where they joined her in digging out the grave with their hands.

Handful after handful was removed, a large pile of dirt forming up outside of the hole as the ground was dug up with now bloody and damaged hands. A loud clank echoed through the trees as Lux's shovel hit a rock, which Marty began frantically trying to remove. He clawed about the obstruction until he could get his bloody and dirt caked fingers under it to lift it up out of the hole. Once the object was removed, they continued, fueled by adrenaline.

In a few minutes, they had the hole deep enough, most of the work having already been done, and they climbed out carefully and quickly.

Lux then ran over to where Chris' body lay, lighter now, and carefully moved his arms and hands to rest on his chest, and laying him on his back, she covered him up completely with his cape, lovingly. She managed to pick him up, with the others' help and lower him gently into the hole. She then knelt beside the open grave and said a prayer.

When she finished with the prayer she reached over to the dirt pile threw in the first handful of dirt.

* * *

><p>The dog suddenly stopped what it was doing. It let go of Rin's arm and backed up. It sat down and just starred at the three, its head cocked slightly to the side. Then, it shook its head violently, slobber and blood flying from its face before it stood once more and lunged for Dave .<p>

It grabbed hold of Dave's wrist and tore the flesh with a thrashing movement as it growled fiercely at him. Dave punched it in the head several times, but it paid it no mind and held fast to his hand. Then, with strategic movement, it let go of his wrist and leapt suddenly, pinning Dave to the ground.

* * *

><p>Lux, Marty, and Katie shoveled the dirt in on top of Chris' body until the hole was full. Once there was no more dirt, she tore through the trees behind the site, leaving a terrified Marty and Katie alone. She emerged minutes later with a large rock that she placed at the head of the grave marking it. She then dropped to her knees beside the grave and whispered, more to herself, than the others.<p>

"It's over..."

* * *

><p>The dog stopped once more and backed off of Dave. It backed up several steps and just stood there, watching them, its red eyes looking confused.<p>

Dave looked at it, terrified when Lux and the others emerged from the bushes. They took this moment to stand and back up away from the dog and to safety.

Lux looked at the dog, it looking back, and it walked over to her. It stopped about three feet in front of her and began to change shape. The form it took on was that of Chris.

He stood in front of her, in costume, smiling, glowing with a white light and looked so peaceful. He held out his hand and Lux reached out for it, only to have her hand go through his. She looked up at him and smiled in return. Then, he vanished.

Lux just stood there, frozen. The sun was beginning to come up and the sky was lightening on November first. She waited for a little while, then she proceeded to walk to the walkway and continue down the wooden path.

* * *

><p>Back at the camp site, Todd, Marty, and Dave packed everything up while Katie, Dave, and Rin helped carry the supplies out.<p>

They made their way to the parking lot where the jeep was parked and found Lux waiting there. They loaded up and stood around for a little while.

"Do you need a ride back?" Dave asked, all bandaged up.

"... If you don't mind." Lux said softly. "I took several buses down here..."

"No problem." He smiled.

"I'll ride in the hatch." Todd smiled.

Lux nodded silently as everyone got in. They settled in and they pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road.

It was silent in the jeep and finally Lux broke down. Tears began to flow down her face and she placed her hands over her mouth as the sobbing started.

Dave looked in the rearview mirror at her, frowning. They had all been through a lot in the passed few days. This would be a trip they would never forget, but for all the wrong reasons. What started out as a fun and spooky trip to the South turned out to be a melting pot of nightmares and death. Now they knew for sure that there was a very macabre side to the South. A very dark and strange world filled with oddities and horrors never seen before. Even though it chilled him to he bone to think about it, he knew that what they had been through was only in reality very little. They had only seen a very small glimpse of that world.

Dave returned his eyes to the road, but not in enough time slow down and avoid the black dog in his path. He swerved and the jeep careened over the side of the guard railings on the side of the road. It flipped end over end countless times before landing on its top, smashing the cabin flat and inevitably ending any life inside.

* * *

><p>Lux woke with a start and sat up on her elbow. She looked around, confused, her heart racing. She was home, in bed. The sun had only been up for a few minutes and was sending in light through the large windows in the bedroom.<p>

"... Is something wrong, honey?" Chris asked as he put his arm over her, holding her protectively.

Lux rolled over onto her back and looked at him, smiling and then, without warning she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him as hard as she could without hurting him.

When the kiss broke, he just looked at her, wide awake and surprised.

"What was that for?" He smiled.

"... For being alive." She whispered. She cuddled up to him, his arms around her and nuzzled his chin.

"Are you still planning on going down South today?" He asked sadly.

"... No." She said softly. "Why don't we just stay in today and watch a movie?"

"Sounds good to me." He smiled and hugged her tightly.

* * *

><p>I hope you all enjoyed the story! The plat eyes mentioned are actual parts of Southern lore and are really interesting. If you like to hear an original story, please visit The Moon Lit Road dot com.<p>

I would really like to hear your feed back on this, since I LOVE anything scary, while I am working on the Southern Songs sequel. Thank you!


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